2012 Award Recipients

TOP INNOVATION – AFFILIATE
Gold Apple Winner
Award of Merit Recipients


PROVINCIAL HEALTH CARE HERO 

HEALTH CARE HERO  – AFFILIATE

HEALTH CARE HERO  – FRASER HEALTH

HEALTH CARE HERO – INTERIOR HEALTH

HEALTH CARE HERO – NORTHERN HEALTH

HEALTH CARE HERO – PHSA

HEALTH CARE HERO – VANCOUVER COASTAL HEALTH

HEALTH CARE HERO – VIHA

2012 Awards Luncheon Program

TOP INNOVATION – HEALTH AUTHORITY
Gold Apple Winner
Award of Merit Recipients


WORKPLACE HEALTH INNOVATION
Gold Apple Winner
Award of Merit Recipients


COLLABORATIVE SOLUTIONS
Gold Apple Winner
Award of Merit Recipients




Top Innovation - Affiliate
2012 Gold Apple Winner


Organization:
Louis Brier Home & Hospital
Project: Support Surface Replacement & Wound Management Project
Project Leader: Julia Pereira – Leader of Rehab & Occupational Therapist
Team Members: Suzanne Klein, Alana Longson, Linda Norton, Debbie Smethurst, Nurses & Care Aides

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Commonly known as bedsores, pressure ulcers can occur in patients with limited
mobility whose skin is vulnerable to damage. These wounds, caused by unrelieved
pressure on the skin, can develop quickly and are often diffi cult to treat. In Canada,
the prevalence of pressure ulcers is 26 per cent across all health care settings, but
with proper care, up to 70 per cent can be prevented. Critical to pressure ulcer
prevention and management is having an appropriate support surface for beds;
however, best practice guidelines offer little advice in recommending the best options
to address patient needs.

At the Louis Brier Home & Hospital in Vancouver, staff knew replacing their existing
therapeutic support surfaces would help prevent the incidence of pressure related
wounds. They developed a new model which brought the resident population into the
decision-making process, and allowed for collaboration between rehabilitation and
nursing staff to problem-solve around support surfaces and wound management.

Led by Occupational Therapist Julia Pereira, the Support Surface Replacement and
Wound Management Project implemented personalized surfaces for individual residents
to improve wound prevention and management while addressing comfort and pain. As a result of this project, Louis Brier Home and Hospital was able to purchase more support surfaces within budget that better met residents’ needs. Since the project began, the facility has reduced instances of pressure-related wounds and improved the healing process of its residents with chronic wounds. This new model has also been presented at several clinical conferences across Canada and is quickly becoming
the model for long-term care.



Top Innovation - Affiliate
2012 Award of Merit Recipients
      
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Organization: Providence Health Care
Project: Renal End-of-Life Initiative
Project Leader: Wallace Robinson – Renal End-of-Life Project Leader
Team Members: Veo Bunderla, Dr. Clifford Chan-Yan, Lawrence Cheung,
Amable Cruz, Julie-Anne Grose, Warren Hart, Dr. Bev Jung, Dr. Gil Kimel, Alexandra Krauthup-Harper, Michaela Leicht, Marianna Leung, Stan Marchuk, Leilani Ocampo, Michele Trask, Dr. Ron Werb

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Patients living with renal disease face high mortality rates and dialysis patients have a
high, chronic and progressive symptom burden. Despite this, renal patients’ symptoms
tend to be under-reported and under-treated and they face a slow deterioration making life expectancy diffi cult to predict. Consequently, the initiation of palliative care services are often delayed or not provided at all. By incorporating the principles of palliative care into renal nursing practice, the Renal End-of-Life Initiative offers compassionate, supportive care that improves pain and symptom burden, and documents wishes for future care should patients not be able to speak for themselves. After one year, fewer patients are reporting severe physical or mental health symptoms. Staff feel more informed and more comfortable with discussing end-of-life priorities with patients, and families appreciate how this extra level of care benefi ts and comforts their loved ones.

Organization: St. Joseph’s General Hospital
Project: Transitional Care Unit
Project Leader: Kim Forman – Care Coordinator
Team Members: Aprile Brekke-Reidl, Sandy Dreger, Moira Garstin, Marlene Gray, Dr. Margaret Manville, Dr. Mandy Ruthnum

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Transitioning elderly patients designated as needing an Alternate Level of Care (ALC)
out of acute care can be a challenge. St. Joseph’s General Hospital in Comox had 22
to 24 ALC patients utilizing an estimated 10,000 acute care patient days a year. While awaiting placement, their function was not improving and many were becoming more frail and dependent. The solution was a change in care delivery aimed at improving each patient’s capacity for independent living, or assisted living/residential care, by returning them to as close to their pre-admission functional status as possible. The transitional care unit opened in September 2010 and the results were remarkable. Patients were much more mobile and independent on leaving the transitional care unit. The average length of stay of patients following their acute episode went from 52 to 29 days. The percentage of patients discharged to their own home rose from 32 per cent to 48 per cent.



Top Innovation - Health Authority
2012 Gold Apple Winner

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Organization: BC Children’s Hospital & Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children
(Provincial Health Services Authority)
Project: Escalation of Patient Care Process: A team approach to recognition &
care of a deteriorating patient
Project Leaders: Tracie Northway - Project Manager, Strategic Implementation
Team Members: Kira Cooksley, Pia deZorzi, Denise Hudson, Rita Janke, Caroline Laverock, Cathy Masuda, Ralph Rothstein, David Waller

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Health care providers are constantly searching for better tools to assess patients who may avoid worsening by early intervention. When caring for the province’s most seriously ill or injured children, being able to recognize early warning signs can help reduce life-threatening events. At the BC Children’s Hospital – which cares for more than 78,000 children each year – preventing critical patient safety events is paramount. To address this issue, a working group was formed to establish an effi cient and effective recognition and response process for deteriorating patients.

Led by Project Manager Tracie Northway, the group turned to pediatric early warning
system tools to assess and track a patient’s health status by monitoring physiological and behavioral activity. Using multiple “plan-do-study-act” cycles, the project team adapted the Brighton Pediatric Early Warning Score tool developed in the United Kingdom and aligned it with the unique patient needs at BC Children’s and Sunny Hill. Designed over the course of six months, which included hours of consultation to refi ne the system and inform a standardized process, this improvement initiative resulted in the creation of the Escalation of Patient Care Process.

The Escalation of Patient Care Process was put into use in March 2009. The goal was to reduce critical patient safety events at BC Children’s and Sunny Hill by 50 per cent in its fi rst year of implementation. By March 31 of this year, the process had exceeded its target and reduced the incidence of critical patient safety events by 86 per cent.

The planning group continues to audit the effectiveness of the Escalation of Patient
Care Process and is living the improvement model by quickly responding to any
areas that require further improvement.



Top Innovation - Health Authority
2012 Award of Merit Recipients 
       
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Organization: Fraser Health
Project: Surgical Website & Soonest Surgery Tool
Project Leader: Cindy Laukkanen – Director, Surgical Systems
Team Members: K. Bal, P. Barker, P. Blair, D. Brar, R. Bruckmann, K. Dobie, C. Dumper, C. Hamilton, L. Hargitt, H. Janzen, M. Johnson, V. Kini, J. Konkler, I. Leyland, F. Little, E. McAlear, P. Nicolson, P. Owen, R. Quirk, G. Rajan, S. Razykov, B. Rivelis, A.M. Rizi, S. Sainas, J. Severn, J. Waldron, J. Wexler, A. Williams, E. Yazganoglu, W. Young, M. Zalter, J. Zhang

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Fraser Health’s comprehensive surgical website for patients, physicians and the general public is improving access to services for its population. The website, which was developed with no additional project or external funding, features an innovative “soonest surgery tool” where patients or doctors can fi nd out which surgeons within Fraser Health have the shortest wait times for a long list of surgical procedures. The project goals were to: provide patient-focused, easily accessible information to patients, families and careproviders; provide patient choice in surgeon selection based on the shortest wait time; smooth the overall waitlist at Fraser Health; and prepare patients for surgery to reduce average relength of stay and improve surgical outcomes. After only three months of being ‘live’, the website was receiving over 750 visits per week. Fraser Health is now working with the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) to implement this website and tool at all BC health authorities.

Organization: Kelowna Mental Health & Substance Use Centre (Interior Health)
Project: Comprehensive Dialectical Behaviour Therapy Program
Demonstration Project
Project Leader: Dr. Christopher Wilson – Clinical Psychologist
Team Leaders: T. Acton, K. Babkirk, J. Brown, F. Correia, S. Crosby, P. Ferguson, G. Heindl, D. Jansons, F. Kersche, K. Kuhn, M. Lamoureux, Y. Pacheco, P. Rees, L. Trepanier, B. Vogt, L. Wensink

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Kelowna Mental Health and Substance Use (KMHSU) Centre was seeing an increase in
clients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and with just two clinicians leading
its Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) groups, the waitlist had grown to two years.
DBT is a treatment for complex, diffi cult-to-treat mental health issues. To address
this issue, KMHSU offered a one-year demonstration project to increase its capacity
to provide comprehensive DBT by providing DBT training to all team leaders and
interested clinicians, and to also determine the effectiveness of this therapy in clients
with BPD. After one year, the waitlist went from two years to nil. Client improvements
were signifi cant with reductions in emergency room visits, hospitalization, self-injury
and suicide attempts as well as marked improvements in quality of life. Due to its
success, the program is now being offered to clients with other diagnoses.



Workplace Health Innovation
2012 Gold Apple Winner    
 
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Organization: Vancouver Island Health Authority (VIHA)
Project: Safety Profile Project
Project Leader: Lesley Moss - Executive Director, Occupational Health & Safety
Team Members: Darren Buckler, Susan Doyle, Andrea Griffi ths, Anita Jezowski,
Tracy Larson, Sarah St. Cyr

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According to WorkSafeBC, the health care industry experiences more workplace injuries than any other industry group. This is a trend that must be reversed. To attack the main causes of workplace injury and illness, the Vancouver Island Health Authority (VIHA) devised a plan to combat the most signifi cant health and safety concerns that staff face each day.

Called the Safety Profi le Project, it tackled four key areas: violence in the workplace;
musculoskeletal injury prevention; infection control; and general health and safety.
VIHA’s safety and musculoskeletal injury prevention teams designed the project
framework. Teams – including front-line staff, union representatives and members of
VIHA’s Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committees – formed to conduct this work in key areas on a unit-by-unit basis. Through the project, hazards and risks are identified and action planning pinpoints injury drivers to reduce or eliminate risk. Risk assessment outcomes are displayed on unit score cards while safety communication boards promote safe work practice and precautions to all staff. These serve as constant, visual reminders to staff that their safety is paramount and that safety is everyone’s responsibility.

These tools have been modified for the different sectors of health care such as the home and community care setting to meet the safety needs of all VIHA staff. The results say it all: Time loss injury rates have been reduced by six per cent and musculoskeletal injuries by 11 per cent. The use of safety huddles has increased and there are clear expectations by leaders to reduce safety risks on each unit.



Workplace Health Innovation
2012 Award of Merit Recipients

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Organization: BC Cancer Agency/Children’s & Women’s Health Centre of BC
(Provincial Health Services Authority)
Project: Ergonomic Syringe Adapter for Chemotherapy Delivery
Project Leader: Richard Hall – Ergonomic Specialist & Dennis Schweers –
Biomedical Engineer
Team Members: Thom Bellaire, Nigel Halsted, Ernie Janzen, Yvette Jones, Brian Keane, Richard Newton, Gordon Thiessen

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Many cancer patients cannot receive chemotherapy drugs via syringe pump. As a result, nurses must administer the medication manually, using large volume syringes. This practice has a moderate to high risk of injury to the hand, wrist, forearm, and elbow with nurses showing an injury rate of approximately 20 per cent. To help solve this issue, Richard Hall and Dennis Schweers designed an ergonomic syringe adapter to increase ease of use and reduce injuries. An evaluation of the adapter revealed an elimination of awkward hand and wrist postures, and a statistically significant reduction in hand grip force, resulting in a signifi cant reduction in risk for injury. Test subjects currently working in pain stated that they experienced less pain when using the adapter as compared to using a syringe without the adapter and all subjects in the study indicated they would use the adapter if it was available to them.


Organization:
Heritage Village (Fraser Health)
Project: Heritage Village Health Care Safety Dance
Project Leader: Patricia Jappy-Loker – Manager, Clinical Programs
Team Members: Arlene Onderwater, Bert Martin, Carolina Morales, Crystal Morrisey, Dawn Bergen, Denise McNeil, Dennis Cross, Dr. Gerald Nemanishen, Joel Odin, Kathy Warner, Kevin Davey, Kimberley Choi, Lenny Morales, Lorna Rogers, Lynn Adams, Mary Rampton, Melissa McDonald, Teresa Allan, Valeria Schiavone

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In 2009, Chilliwack’s Heritage Village had the highest number of musculoskeletal injuries of any Fraser Health residential care facility. In an effort to increase staff awareness of safety issues in the workplace, and highlight the role each staff member plays in workplace safety, the Joint Occupational Health & Safety Committee took an unconventional route. The song came fi rst and then the idea to make a music video was proposed. The video demonstrated a number of safe behaviours and showed staff that by working together in a fun way, safety – the ultimate goal – can be achieved. The video can be viewed on You Tube as Health Care Safety Dance by Heritage Village. This project, combined with a continued focus on safety,
has reduced the number of staff injuries and claims and has helped to create a culture of safety at Heritage Village. Plans are already underway to create a new video on another important residential care topic to continue this path of making learning fun.



Collaborative Sollutions
2012 Gold Apple Winner      
  
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Organization: BC Provincial Renal Agency (Provincial Health Services Authority)
Project: Innovative Protocolization of Anemia Therapy in Dialysis Patients
Project Leader: Dr. Dan Martinusen – Pharmacy Specialist
Team Members: Dr. Piera Calissi, Dr. Bruce Lange, Dr. Marianna Leung, Dr. Adeera Levin, Dr. Judith Marin

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Anemia – the condition where one’s blood is low in healthy red blood cells to carry
oxygen to the tissues – is common in people with kidney disease. Managing this
condition in kidney failure patients is both costly and potentially harmful. Roughly 14 per cent of the Provincial Renal Agency’s budget is allocated to anemia treatment, and it’s a growing problem with the dialysis population increasing by three per cent each year. Traditional non-standardized prescribing by physicians has proved an ineffi cient use of resources and has produced inconsistent results.

Dr. Dan Martinusen, Chair of the Renal Agency’s Pharmacy and Formulary Committee,
together with hospital pharmacists specializing in kidney disease from around the
province, were convinced both human and fi scal resources could better be utilized to
treat this growing population. The team wanted to standardize and improve the
treatment of anemia due to chronic kidney disease. Employing principles of best
available and most current evidence, the team demonstrated best practice in treatment. Many championed this effort and collaborated to create change, including
nephrologists, nurses, pharmacists, administrators and patients.

The project took from both the provincial and local level in developing its approach to
anemia management using a centralized care approach distributed by local care teams
– an idea fi rst implemented by Fraser Health in 2006. This approach now extends to
more than 90 percent of all hemodialysis patients in BC. It has produced better patient outcomes, a better utilized and more engaged workforce, and resulted in an annual cost savings of three million dollars.



Collaborative Solutions
2012 Award of Merit Recipients

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Organization: BC Mental Health & Addiction Services (Provincial Health
Services Authority)
Project: Provincial Expansion of mindcheck.ca
Project Leader: Dr. Connie Coniglio – Provincial Executive Director,
Children and Women’s Mental Health and Substance Use Programs
Team Members: Kevin Bieksa, TC Carling, Nicole Chovil, Michelle Cianfrone, Tara Clarke, Tom Ehmann, Laura Hanson, Jamie Livingston, Kimberley Korf-Uzan, Marilyn Marchment, Andrew McKinley, Andrew Mellenger, Alex Mitchell, Amanda Sayfy, Andrew Tugwell, Stevie Wild

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Mindcheck.ca is a youth-focused, interactive website where visitors can self-assess and connect to support. The goal of mindcheck.ca is to improve the mental health status and quality of life of the youth and young adult population, and prevent emerging problems from escalating into more severe disorders. The site provides educational materials and links to support for visitors. Initially developed by Fraser Health, a partnership with BC Mental Health & Addiction Services made it possible to expand mindcheck.ca to a provincial resource. A partnership with the Vancouver Canucks helped bring attention to the “In One Voice” campaign where visitors could upload a video pledge to support those affected by mental health challenges. Canucks’ defenceman Kevin Bieksa shared his pledge in memory of former teammate and friend, Rick Rypien. Since its launch, there have been over 60,000 visits to mindcheck.ca and more than 23,000 people have taken one of the self-assessment quizzes.

Organization: Vancouver General Hospital (Vancouver Coastal Health)
Project: Clostridium diffi cile Infection Quality Assurance Initiative:
A Clinical Pharmacy & Medical Microbiology Collaboration
Project Leader: Dr. Tim Lau – Infectious Diseases Pharmacist
Team Members: Dr. William R. Bowie, Dr. Elizabeth A. Bryce, Dr. Nilu Partovi & the Clinical Pharmacists at VGH

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Clostridium diffi cile Infection (CDI) is the most common hospital-acquired infection
resulting in mild to severe diarrhea and sometimes death. Vancouver Coastal Health
had an evidence-based CDI management policy; however, only nine per cent of patients with CDI were being prescribed the optimized treatment. In March 2011, Pharmacy, Infection Control and Infectious Diseases at Vancouver General Hospital (VGH) initiated a collaborative effort to optimize the management of patients with CDI by having them followed by ward-based Clinical Pharmacists to ensure appropriate treatment. This would improve patient health outcomes while reducing related complications, length of hospital stay and mortality. The project has made a marked impact. Appropriate CDI treatment improved from nine per cent to 69 per cent. Length of hospital stay decreased from 50 to 32 days and mortality rates declined. This collaboration demonstrates that a simple intervention can have widespread effects in optimizing patient care.



Health Care Heroes                                                                             top
2012 Gold Apple Winner - Vancouver Coastal Health & Provincial Health Care Hero
                         

Dr. Paul Sugar – Palliative Care Physician

Organization: Lions Gate Hospital & North Shore Hospice

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After 30 years as a family physician, Dr. Paul Sugar decided to concentrate on palliative care. His impact is refl ected in the more than 70 letters of support received from colleagues, patients and patients’ family members. While each told a very personal story, there was common praise for Dr. Sugar’s distinctive style of patient care. He treats those in his care as people fi rst, then as patients. He develops relationships with patients, and with their families and loved ones. He builds connection and trust. He makes home visits day or night, asking families to call him at any time and he will come. Many remarked that he makes each patient feel like they are his only patient. One colleague observed, “Dr. Sugar can be seen almost running  through the lobby of the hospital to get to his next patient, but when he enters the space to visit with patients and families it is as if he has all the time in the world.”



Health Care Heroes
2012 Gold Apple Winner - Affiliate                                                    top 

Junine Toy - Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, HIV (St. Paul’s Hospital)

Organization: St. Paul’s Hospital (Providence Health Care)

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Junine Toy is respected by her patients, colleagues and students for her expertise
and vision in the rapidly evolving fi eld of HIV therapy. She is equally admired for her
commitment and compassion to this marginalized patient population. Junine has been
a pharmacist at St. Paul’s Hospital with a special dedication to support the HIV/AIDS
Program for 15 years. She is considered a pioneer in the development of St. Paul’s HIV therapy, pharmacy counseling and support services – now the standard of care at the institution. A tireless patient advocate, Junine routinely goes to great lengths to arrange support services to ensure vulnerable patients continue taking their medicine. In her day-to-day work, she supports hundreds of patients as they struggle to come to terms with their diagnosis, battle life threatening illness or endure medication side effects. At the same time, she has collaborated on many internationally recognized HIV research projects, published reports on the complex drug interactions in HIV therapy, lectures at the University of British Columbia and mentors young pharmacy and medical residents.



Health Care Heroes
2012 Gold Apple Winner - Fraser Health                                          top


Barbara McLeod - Clinical Nurse Specialist, End of Life Program

Organization: Fraser Health

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Barbara McLeod delivers much needed care and service to hospice palliative patients
through her exceptional perseverance, accountability and commitment. A strong
advocate of creating standards with clear guidelines to support providers and families,
Barbara has led a number of initiatives to improve Fraser Health’s palliative care
programs for the benefi t of health care providers, patients and their families. This
includes the development of the Fraser Health Hospice Palliative Care symptom guidelines which allow research evidence to guide care for palliative patients. These guidelines are now being utilized by other health authorities and there is a proposal underway to adopt them provincially. On top of her professional accomplishments, Barbara is a thoughtful and caring supporter of her co-workers. She is a role model to many of her colleagues thanks to her steadfast determination and positive, “can do” attitude.



Health Care Heroes
2012 Gold Apple Winner - Interior Health
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Laurie Skene – Surgical Services & Medical Device Reprocessing Clinical Practice Standards Coordinator

Organization: Interior Health

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Laurie Skene has long been respected for her work as a perioperative nurse, but in
recent years, she has also become known for her facilitation and collaborative skills.
Laurie has been instrumental in achieving standardization across Interior Health’s 17
surgical sites. She created and maintains their surgical services and medical device
reprocessing online manuals which include more than 100 clinical practice standards.
She has also undertaken the standardization of patient education tools for those
undergoing shoulder and fractured hip surgery – no small feat given it required the
approval of all of the region’s surgeons, nursing and rehabilitation staff, dieticians and
other involved parties. She works very closely with surgical services and the region’s
professional practice offi ce to ensure the clinical practice standards are developed in a timely fashion, that they are well formatted and that they are presented in a consistent manner. Through this work, Laurie has inspired staff and physicians to ensure clinical decisions and practices are evidence-based, comprehensive and patient-focused.



Health Care Heroes
2012 Gold Apple Winner - Northern Health                                     top 

Karen Skarpnes - Physiotherapist

Organization: Prince Rupert Regional Hospital

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Karen Skarpnes puts her heart and soul into every patient she sees and every project she undertakes and in doing so, has improved the lives of many. She is a true community leader and client advocate, and has excelled in bringing experts together, seeking partners and collaborating with others in the community to improve health outcomes for patients. She strives to work with those at the source to understand the causes of injury and find solutions that prevent injuries before they happen. Over her 30-year career, Karen has remained dedicated to providing gold standard care to each individual who crosses her path. This dedication is evident in many ways, such as in the programs she has helped design for those suffering from musculoskeletal injuries and in the work she does to improve the health and safety of her coworkers and their patients.



Health Care Heroes
2012 Gold Apple Winner - Provincial Health Services  Authority
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Sarah Robertson – Manager, Multi-Media & Telehealth

Organization: BC Cancer Agency

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When Sarah Robertson joined the BC Cancer Agency in 1977, video conferencing technology was in its infancy. In 1994, she pioneered the Agency’s fi rst videoconferencing trial and today, it is a vital tool in cancer care in BC. This is in part thanks to Sarah’s efforts in championing videoconferencing, or tele-oncology, as a means of delivering clinical oncology services. In 2008, Sarah initiated and led a provincial project to expand tele-oncology services throughout BC as well as to the Yukon. Today, each of the BC Cancer Agency’s fi ve centres – in Vancouver, Victoria, Surrey, Abbotsford and Kelowna – rely on videoconferencing with the sixth being added later this year when the Centre for the North opens in Prince George. In 2007, 375 patient consultations occurred via videoconference. By March of this year, 1,947 oncology patients were able to avoid the stress, fi nancial toll and the emotional burden of travel and time away from home by being able to see their clinicians using videoconference.



Health Care Heroes
2012 Gold Apple Winner - Vancouver Coastal Health
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Dr. Paul Sugar – Palliative Care Physician

Organization: Lions Gate Hospital & North Shore Hospice

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After 30 years as a family physician, Dr. Paul Sugar decided to concentrate on palliative care. His impact is refl ected in the more than 70 letters of support received from colleagues, patients and patients’ family members. While each told a very personal story, there was common praise for Dr. Sugar’s distinctive style of patient care. He treats those in his care as people fi rst, then as patients. He develops relationships with patients, and with their families and loved ones. He builds connection and trust. He makes home visits day or night, asking families to call him at any time and he will come. Many remarked that he makes each patient feel like they are his only patient. One colleague observed, “Dr. Sugar can be seen almost running through the lobby of the hospital to get to his next patient, but when he enters the space to visit with patients and families it is as if he has all the time in the world.”



Health Care Heroes
2012 Gold Apple Winner - Vancouver Island Health Authority
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Dr. Sean Spina - Coordinator of Clinical Services

Organization: Royal Jubilee Hospital

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A Clinical Pharmacotherapeutics Specialist in Internal Medicine, Dr. Sean Spina’s
passion for his work is evident in every aspect of his job. He is always available to
answer questions and takes many opportunities to connect with staff and patients.
Sean has been involved in many initiatives that improve patient care. His innovative
ideas related to medication reconciliation and the resolved drug therapy problem
tracker, which measures drug related problems and uses smartphones to assist
pharmacists, has interested pharmacy departments throughout Canada. The role
of a hospital pharmacist is not well understood by the general public and Sean has
worked hard to increase this understanding. He has presented at numerous provincial
and national conferences and in two of the past three years, has led a team to a
Vancouver Island Health Authority Pharmacy Awareness Week award by promoting
the role of the department to the public and to other health care professional groups.